Question: I have ants crawling up into my orange tree and also squirrels climbing the tree. How do I deter these pests? -Nanci Zellman, Sherman Oaks Answer: Ants climb a tree not because of anything ...

Q: Some friends of mine had a beautiful lawn here in the San Fernando Valley, but they have nutgrass growing in it. I had never heard of it, but everyone on their street has it. Can you recommend som...

Less than a century ago, thousands of acres of walnut orchards thrived in what would become the Los Angeles megalopolis. Today you can find the remnants of these orchards in equally spaced walnut tre...

Q: I have newly planted fruit trees: two avocados, one plum, one nectarine, one fig, three various citrus. I have been told that in order for them to bear fruit I must have two of each variety. Do th...

Q: I want an evergreen tree without a wandering root system that produces shade but is clean since there is a pool to consider. I have been considering an Exoniensis magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora va...

I have been privileged to harvest Santa Rosa plums, grown in my own backyard, for more than 25 years. My first Santa Rosa tree produced fruit for 20 years and then stopped, so I replaced it with anot...

If you enjoy the fruit that you harvest from your orange, avocado and apple trees, you can make more trees just like them, either to plant in your own yard or to give away as gifts. And it won’t cost...

Imagine a weed that grows 20 feet tall and produces more than 50 pounds of edible fruit. The fruit is yellow-orange with the texture of an apricot. Its taste is sweet to tart, depending on the tree. ...

Recent Posts

Coprosma ‘Tequila Sunrise’ I have known gardeners who were obsessed with variegated plants. Their gardens were devoted exclusively to these schizophrenic beauties. Variegated refers to plants with leaves possessing more than one color. ...

If you want to enjoy the pleasure of viewing a large variety of lesser known plants arranged in distinctive garden designs, without having to visit a botanical garden, I suggest you take a walk up and down the streets of Santa Monica, especially in t...
Santa Monica Sightings

I have a persimmon tree purchased 9 years ago. In the past 3 years, the fruit hasn’t grown larger than a grape, changing color but not expanding in size. The tree receives sun all day long. Will I ever again see any full-size fruit from this ...

A gleaming oak tree from the Southeast and an iconic weed from Russia are thriving in Balboa Park. The park entrance is located on the east side of Balboa Boulevard, between Burbank and Victory Boulevards, in Van Nuys. The tree in question is southe...

About The Author

Welcome to The Smarter Gardener. I'm Joshua Siskin and I've been writing about plants and trees for the Los Angeles Daily News for over 20 years. If you have any questions or comments, please send them along. I have published more than 1,000 articles on plants and I am currently in the process of loading them onto this site. My goal is to make it possible for you to learn about any of the plants in your garden by doing a search of this site.